Ibiza combines spectacular scenery, lively bars and clubs, unspoilt beaches and great spots to kick back and relax
place prelerred by people who enjoy night time as a resting and strength—recoyering spot tor a new magic night‘ beach massages and yoga classes are ayailable littl' anyone needing to chill out that little bit more. while the restaurant
llLl\ :1 pretty lmpl‘csslu‘ sL‘lL‘L‘lltlll til
l'rcsli seal'ood. ll you're l‘ecling i'i'ry i‘e|a\ed. carry on along the sea limit to lis ('ayallei. the island‘s l‘irst designated nudist beach. which attracts straight and gay couples and families.
Renting a car also lets you \‘lsll the small Villages set apart from the tourist traps. where you can get hold ol' escellent traditional cuisine lar more cheaply than in the resorts or San Antonio. San limit in particular is l‘abulously picturesque: al'ter wandering through the centre and into a shop selling crystals and incense. we found ourselyes in a wooded oasis ol tranquillity complete with hammocks. lish pond and Buddhas galore. once again gesturing towards the island‘s more ‘l‘ll'iltlttl tools. This is the lico (‘tll-é. still largely undiscoyered by tourists: the l'ood is (of course) \egetarian and larger organic.
lilsewhere. some of the finest cooking on the island. combined with lantastic \iews. can be found in Sa Capella. a restaurant btiilt into an 18th-century chapel on a hillside a couple of miles from San Antonio. and Sa l’unta. a fish restaurant owned by superclub Pacha located
at the tar end of 'l‘alamanca beach.
from where we ga/ed at the capital illuminated in the distance. lbi/a Town has good liood. too. ol course 7- a wander around the monumental Renaissance walls of l'.\'l{8(‘() heritage site Dali \'ila (Old Town) turns up extensiye Mediterranean cuisine.
lbi/a Town is also the best place from which to get the ferry to nearby liormentera. a tiny island half an liout"s journey away. The landscape is a world away from lbi/a's. which means you get an idea ot‘ what the White Island would'\e looked like back in the l‘)(i()s. bet‘ore tourism lel't its heayy imprint. We explored by moped ~ they greatly outnumber any other form of yehicle. which makes it much safer than elsewhere.
.-\t the end of the day. we realised we were still on lbi/a. and couldn't resist the lure of dancing the night
away. It you want to steer clear ol'
superclubs. check out lbi/a Rocks. a much-loyed. new-ish night from the people behind Manumission. Taking place at Bar .\1 in San Antonio. it has already brought credible dance/rock crossoyer artists such as (‘88. The Go Team! and LCD Soundsystein to the island. proying that there is so much more to its
menus ol
music scene. and to [him itsell‘. than
jtist house and techno.
IBIZA TIPS
I Be sure to book your accommodation and flights separately, so you’re not restricted to just the main resorts. EasyJet flies direct to Ibiza from both Glasgow and
Edinburgh. . ' Uri I M. .r‘ ’ t i I (I. j "i z ‘ .i ll ' (ti ' l'i‘i ' ' ‘ y r\t: 'V v.1, ‘ 0(t, L , Io. f {X "fi' 5 'irfi < i . ; (lli’lf' i i i i i ' l"'Hn‘.i Hit" 1 ' I'M. ‘ T" ' ti 1 I SUIT” it i i i l
' ( i ><I' A a
I There are many car hire places on the island. Moto Luis (www.motoluis.com/en) is one of the best.
I D' atte'": '. 'r 2' r n '34,- 15::
a T"C,..‘:’}" saii 1. es» s; ' " .',;:', restaurants " l,:: I Useful site:
www.ibiza-spotlight.com
Br ‘ldl'. cairn; in. "om In" two o/s‘o roam wants ." I A couple of months ago, Excess Baggage dared to insinuate that the Grand Canyon Skywalk, the glass-bottomed walkway stretching out into Arizona's deepest ditch, would re-tocus thrill-seeking tourism away from the Antipodean bungee, bikes and backpack trail. Not content to let the Yanks have all the vertiginous see-through fun, Melbourne's tourist board has proudly unveiled its latest tourist attraction. Eureka Skywalk 88 may sound like the newest addition to the Battlestar Galatica fleet, but it’s actually an observation deck, offering 360° views of the city from the 88th floor of the tallest building in the skyline. Their trump card is The Edge, a glass cube which is cantilevered out from the observation platform. Once the cube has been projected three metres out of the building, nanotechnology turns the glass in the floor from opaque to clear at the flick of a switch, and the city is revealed in all its breathtaking glory, 300 metres below - accompanied by the sound of breaking glass and an induced sensation of falling. ‘The idea is to take people quickly from a comfortable to a scary experience,’ said project manager James Cockbum. ‘We're just sadistic.’ Baggage loves a self-aware man.
I Looking for inspiration for your next trip? Back in the much safer realm of the Virtual traveller. Excess Baggage has recently discovered Times Online's Your World Site, httpzu youmorldtimesonlineco.uk, which collects travellers tales and pins them on to a fully zoomable world map. Each country is diyided up by a grid. and you click on the relevant areas for stories with titles like ‘Teddy Bear in the Bronx', and. er, ‘Abandoned in Bridlington'. They pop up like postcards from each place. With scrolling text and photographs or Videos hosted on the other side. It's a really lovely site. and it'll be a much more exciting rescurce when it fills up wrth stories. so dig out your battered old travel jOurnals and get uploading. Nobody has written anything about Glasgow yet . . . (Kirstin lnnes)
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